The AFL have opened a new position within their football department, appointing Lisa Lawry as the league's general manager of umpiring.
Lawry is set to work alongside the AFL's top brass and closely with head of umpiring Dan Richardson to elevate and create "a standalone umpiring function within the AFL football operations department".
The general manager of umpiring will look to grow, develop and aid a pathway across all levels of football and umpiring, from grassroots to the AFL, AFLW, State and NAB league competitions.
“Umpires play an integral and important role in the game, and quite simply without umpires we don’t have football,” AFL football operations, legal and integrity boss Andrew Dillon said.
“Adding resource and focus to this area will only strengthen our work in performance, growth, and development of umpiring – ensuring a strong, diverse and appealing pathway from community through to the elite AFL and AFLW competitions.
“Ms Lawry has extensive leadership and people and culture experience and brings a clear understanding of high performance, coaching, talent management and cultural change, which will benefit the progression of umpiring nationally and drive greater diversity into our senior umpiring ranks.”
Lawry is also set to work with league game development manager Rob Auld "to ensure the game recruits, supports, develops and retains the number of umpires required to service the needs of the game as participation grows".
The AFL confirmed the newly-created positon will include an eye on:
- AFL, AFLW, state and NAB league umpiring;
- ARC management;
- Implementing actions in umpiring from the AFL’s Gender Equity Action Plan;
- Supporting community football umpiring projects.
The competition's match officials have been heavy criticised across the course of the 2022 season, with the league's interpretations on several rules, coupled with the introduction of new rules, frustrating fans in the opening 10 rounds.
